Week Nine... Imagine if all fashion was Traceable
Welcome to week 9 of our Book Club. This week we are focusing on imagining a world were we can trace every stage of production, distribution and reuse.
Please note: Meet up this Sunday at the 16 Foot sailing club at 2:30pm. Exact location posted on our Insta and Facebook 10 mins prior to meeting.
Q: Firstly what does traceability mean?
It "is the process of making information available to understand how fibers and materials were sourced, processed and produced through the supply chain. Improving the transparency of suppliers, and the traceability of sourced materials, is essential to enable more sustainable decision making. It is an enabling factor to help reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of the textile supply chain." ( Definition from Fashion for Good website)
Discuss what this means when discussing textile waste?
Q: “All our clothing can be produced from existing resources”p200. Do you agree? What if this could be accomplished? Is it realistic?
The book discusses how the fashion industry must "Get Sorted" if we want clothes to be produced from existing resources. It says that we need to have:
- Facilities to collect and grade the source materials
- Fiber-to- fiber recycling plants
Q: Can upcycling old junk into new products make a big enough change? are we just postponing the inevitable landfill?
Q: Discuss and look at the initiative -‘Worn Again’ (to expand on what is already discussed in the book..
Q: Discuss fibre to fibre recycling? What do you know about it? What technology do we have in Australia? What are the negatives currently associated with the technology?
Q: Discuss chemical and mechanical recycling methods and how they differ?
What are the considerations with Polyester, nylon, and cellulosics (cotton, wool and linen) recycling?
Q: What issues are there with sorting garments for recycling? How are some companies dealing with this issue?
"Less than 1% of used textiles are recycled…" Pg 201
Q: The book also brings up "Passport Control" a concept where all products of the future will be able to tell you what they are and where they’ve been! Why is this essential to know? P. 203
Q:“Connectivity is essential to reshape our relationship with resources” P. 204
How could EON’s product passports change the fashion industry’s trajectory?
Q: Fibre passports are also being explored. What might be the benefit of this for producers/buyers and consumers?
Q: Consider the Renewcell innovation, something termed by Cavalli -Bjorkman “Industrial Evolution”P. 207. Creative thinking can take what’s already there and find new purpose for it. Maybe transformation is a key way of thinking about the industry when trying to come up with sustainable solutions for the future…. What are your thoughts? (Eg The Pulp industry example in the book, where existing infrastructure from industries that are no longer viable are being refit to power textile recycling).